“SelectSubject”,“MaskSubject”,and“RemoveBackground”arenewcommandswhichusemachinelearning(orA.I.ifyouprefer)tofindthemostimportantpartsofyourimage,andthenperformtheirrespectiveoperations.Thishasbeenarequestforalongtime,andwhileIwasdoubtfulofit’sutility,it’sactuallyprettyfuntoplaywithandmoreusefulthanIfigureditwouldbe.SoI’mgladItookthetimetointegrateit.
Youcannowsetyourmeasurementunitstoinches,centimeter,orpixels,anditshowsupacrossthetoolsforyourimage,notjustspecificones.Thisincludesthecroppalette,shapedimensions,filtersettings…well,prettymucheverything.ThismightbetheoldestfeaturerequestI’veimplementedsofar.Andthenrelatedtothis,Acorn8nowhasanoncanvasrulerwhichyoucanusetomeasureoutdistances,straightenyourimagewith,orevenredefinetheDPI.
LookupTable(LUT)support.LUTsareprettyfun,andtheyworkbymappingonesetofcolorstoanother,enablingconsistentorstylizedvisualeffects.LUTsareusedprimarilyinphotographyorfilmmaking,andyoucandownloadandinstallnewLUTsfromvariousplacesacrosstheinternet.
Acornis,simplyput,oneofthebestMacappsevermade.It’sthatgood.You’renuts(sorry)ifyoudon’tcheckitoutwhileit’savailableforjust$20.
BlackmagicDesign:
BlackmagicDesignannounceditwillstarttakingpre-ordersforthenewBlackmagicURSACineImmersivecamera—theworld’sfirstcommercialcamerasystemdesignedtocaptureAppleImmersiveVideoforAppleVisionPro—todaywithdeliveriesduetostartinearly2025.DaVinciResolveStudiowillbeupdatedtosupporteditingAppleImmersiveVideoearlynextyear,offeringprofessionalfilmmakersacomprehensiveworkflowforproducingAppleImmersiveVideoforAppleVisionPro.AppleImmersiveVideoisaremarkable180-degreemediaformatthatleveragesultra-high-resolutionimmersivevideoandSpatialAudiotoplaceviewersinthecenteroftheaction.[...]
BlackmagicURSACineImmersivefeaturesafixed,customlenssystempre-installedonthebody,whichisdesignedspecificallytocaptureAppleImmersiveVideoforAppleVisionPro.Thesensordelivers8160×7200resolutionpereyewithpixellevelsynchronizationandanincredible16stopsofdynamicrange,socinematographerscanshoot90fps3Dimmersivecinemacontenttoasinglefile.ThecustomlenssystemisdesignedforURSACine’slargeformatimagesensorwithextremelyaccuratepositionaldatathat’sreadandstoredattimeofmanufacturing.Thisimmersivelensprojectiondata—whichiscalibratedandstoredondevice—thentravelsthroughpostproductionintheBlackmagicRAWfileitself.
$30,000—notcheap,butnotcrazy.Andthisisn’tmerely3Dinarectangularframe—it’s180°8K3D.
Whatreallyintriguesmeaboutitiswhen/ifitwillshowupforrental.IhaveafewtentativeideasinthisspaceI’dlovetoexplorebutIdon’tthinkwouldjustifythecostofowningone.
LookslikeLensrentalsrentsavaguelysimilar,traditionalBlackmagiccamerakitforaround$1,000/week...whichwouldmakeexperimentationmuchmoreaccessible.
PaulKafasis,ontheRogueAmoebablog:
Evenasourproductssteadilygrewinpopularity,ourrelationshipwithApplewasalmostnon-existent.Plentyofindividualsinsidethecompanywerefans,butwereceivedverylittleattentionfromAppleasacorporateentity.Wedidn’tmuchmindbeingoutsiders,butitmeantthatweoftenhadzeronoticeofbreakingchangesintroducedbyApple.
Duringthistime,AppleplacedanemphasisonimprovingthesecurityofMacOS,continuallylockingtheoperatingsystemdownfurtherandfurther.Thoughtheirchangesweren’taimedatthelegitimateaudiocaptureweprovidedourusers,theynonethelessmadethatcaptureincreasinglydifficult.WelaboredtokeepourtoolsfunctioningwitheachnewversionofMacOS.Throughitall,welivedwithaconstantfearthatApplewouldirreparablybreakourapps.
In2020,thedisasterforeshadowedliterallyonesentenceagostruck.BetaversionsofMacOS11brokeACE,ourthen-currentaudiocapturetechnology,andthedamagelookedpermanent.
Excellentfive-minuteshortvideofromtheever-insightfulKirbyFergusonforTheNewYorkTimes,exploringwhyeverythinglooksthesame,soundsthesame,andseeminglyisthesameintoday’spopculture.Theshortanswer:thatsamenessisonlypervasivewhenyouonlylookatwhat’spromotedbyourthree-headedsocialmediahegemony(Meta,YouTube,andTikTok).
Update:Thestoreisnowclosed.Mysincerethankstoeveryonewho’sboughtone(orinmanycases,morethanone).
Originalpost:UnsurprisinglygiventhatIwentafewyearswithoutsellingDF-brandedshirts,whileIprocrastinatedonlaunchingamodernizednewstore(longstoryshort:Shopifyisakillerplatform—thenewstorenowsupportseverythingfromApplePaytoordertracking),responsetothisroundofclassiclogoapparelhasbeengreat.Ordersfromlastweekstartedgoingoutovertheweekend,andhundredsmoreareshippingtoday.
It’stoolatenowtogetanorderinforChristmas,nomatterwhereyoulive,butit’snottoolatetoplaceanorderfromthisbatchofshirtsandhoodies.But,we’llprobablyclosethestoretoneworderstomorrow(Tuesday),sodon’twait.
Afteroveradecade,therejuvenated(reanimated)CoverSutrahasbeenreimaginedasasleek,standalonemusicplayerforyourMacthatlivesinyourmenubar,givingyouseamlessaccesstoyourmusiclibrary.Instantlysearchbyalbum,artist,orsong—allwithoutbreakingyourworkflow.Someofwhat’snew:
AvailablenowontheMacAppStoreforjust$4.99—andafreeupgradeforCoverSutra3.0customers.Fivebucks,onetime,andit’syourstokeep.Andit’sjustsopolished,sosimple,andsonice.
Q12025weeksarewideopentoo,butIonlyjustnowopenedthoseweeksonthecalendar.
Here’swhathappened.OnWednesday,HegsethpostedonXthatProPublica—whichhedescribedasa“LeftWinghackgroup”—wasplanningtopublishabombshellreportcontradictingHegseth’saccountthathehadbeenacceptedtoWestPointin1999.
Hegsethsettherecordstraightbypublishinghisletterofacceptance,signedbyWestPoint’ssuperintendent,LieutenantGeneralDanielChristmanoftheU.S.Army.
Butthatarticlenevermaterialized.
Eisingeriscorrect.ProPublica’sreporterdidhisjob:Hecheckedanddouble-checkedastory.ThemistakewasmadebyWestPoint’scommunicationsdepartment,whichtwicecontended—falsely—thatHegsethhadneverappliedtothemilitaryacademy.
Inatweetthread,Eisingerexplainedwhathappened.First,hisreportercontactedtheWestPointpublicaffairsofficetoinquireaboutHegseth’sclaimthathewasacceptedthere.ThereporterwastoldbyWestPoint,innouncertainterms,thatHegsethhadneverevenappliedthere.
Afterbeingpresentedwithunequivocalevidencetothecontrary,WestPointbackpedaled.“AreviewofourrecordsindicatesMr.PeterHegsethwasofferedadmissiontoWestPointin1999butdidnotattend,”saidtheschoolinastatement.
There’sanargumentbeingmade(includingbySoave,ashisheadlinemakesclear)thatProPublicashouldhavestillpublishedastoryaboutthis,butthatratherthanitbeingastoryaboutHegsethhavingliedaboutbeingacceptedtoWestPointin1999,itshouldinsteadhaveturnedintoastoryaboutWestPointpublicrelationshavingwronglytoldProPublicathatnotonlyhadHegsethnotbeenaccepted,thathe’dneverevenapplied.
Whenastatementisattributedto“aspokesperson”fromacompanyorinstitution,theworlddoesn’tknowwhothatspokespersonis.Onlythereporterorwriter,andperhapstheireditors.Thereisanexplicitlackofaccountabilityattributingstatementstoaninstitutionratherthantospecificpeople.Weevenhavedifferentpronouns—it’sinstitutionsthatdothings,butonlypeoplewhodothings.Whoisthequestion.
Themainwaythishappensisthatbigcompaniestakeadvantageofaparticularagreementinthemediacalled“background.”Being“onbackground”meansthattheytellthingstoreporters,butthosereportersagreetonotspecificallyattributethatinformationtoapersonbyname.Oftentimes,companieswillmakethingssignificantlyworseandalsoinsistthatbackgroundinformationbeparaphrased,furtherobscuringbothspecificdetailsandthesourceofthosedetails.
Therearemanyreasonsareportermightagreetolearninginformationonbackground,butimportantly,beingonbackgroundissupposedtobeanagreement.
Butthetrendwithbigtechcompaniesnowistoincreasinglytreatbackgroundasadefaultorevenaconditionofreporting.Thatmeansreportersarenowroutinelyaskedtoreportthingswithoutbeingabletoattributethemappropriately,andreadersaren’tbeingpresentedwithclearsourcesofinformation.
Thisallcertainlyfeedsintotheoveralldistrustofthemedia,whichhasdireconsequencesinourcurrentinformationlandscape,butinpractice,itisalsohilariouslystupid.[...]
Thisisbad,sowe’regoingtoresettheseexpectationsasloudlyaspossible.
JoeRossignol,MacRumors:
Inapaywalledreporttoday,thewebsitesaidtheiPhonemodelswillnolongerbesoldthroughApple’sonlinestoreandretailstoresintheEuropeanUnionasofDecember28,whichiswhentheregulationgoesintoforce.
Niftynewconvert-to-MarkdownlibraryfromasmallindiedevelopmentshopnamedMicrosoft:
TheMarkItDownlibraryisautilitytoolforconvertingvariousfilestoMarkdown(e.g.,forindexing,textanalysis,etc.)
Itpresentlysupports:
TheAPIissimple:
Genmojiareanespeciallyunfortunateomission,asthey’reavailableonbothiPhoneandiPadwithiOSandiPadOS18.2.MeanwhiletheMailappredesigniscurrentlyiPhone-exclusive,soit’smissingfromboththeMacandiPadinthesenextsoftwareupdates.
IamreliablyinformedthatthenewMailcategorizationfeaturesarecomingsoontoiPadandMac,whichIsuspectmeansinthe.3updates.Butthefirst.3betasaren’toutyet.
ChanceMillerhasagoodrundownfor9to5Mac:
TheupdateincludesmajornewAppleIntelligencefeatures,upgradestotheCameraControloniPhone16,aredesignfortheMailapp,andmuchmore.
ThenewAppleIntelligencefeaturesleadthelist,andcertainlyleadApple’smarketing,butthere’squiteabitelsenewin18.2too.
IntestingtheupdatedWritingToolswithChatGPTintegration,I’verunintosomelimitationsthatIwillcoverbelow,butIalsohadtwoverypositiveexperienceswiththeNotesappthatIwanttomentionheresincetheyshouldgiveyouanideaofwhat’spossible.
Therewerenopropersectionheadings,theformattingwasinconsistentbetweenparagraphs,andthemonetaryamountshadbeenenteredwithdifferentcurrencysymbolsforEUR.Iwantedtomakethenotelookprettierwithconsistentformatting,soIopenedthe“Compose”fieldofWritingToolsandsentChatGPTthefollowingrequest:
ThisisadocumentthatdescribespaymentsIsenttomyselfeachmonthfromtwosources:RelayFMandMacStories.ThecurrencyisalwaysEUR.WhenImention“setaside”,itmeansIsetasideapercentageofthosecombinedpaymentsfortaxpurposes.Canyoureformatthisnoteinawaythatmakesmoresense
IhitReturn,andafterafewseconds,ChatGPTreworkedmytextwithaconsistentstructureorganizedintosectionswithbulletpointsandpropercurrencyformatting.Iwasimmediatelyimpressed,soIacceptedthesuggestedresult,andIendedupwiththesamenote,elegantlyformattedjustlikeIasked.
InEnglish,thesetwostatementsoughttobeconsideredsynonymous:
pathoffontsfolderofuserdomainpathtofontsfolderfromuserdomainButinAppleScript,theyarenot,andratherarebrittlelydependentonthecurrentcontext.Intheglobalscope,theStandardAdditionsOSAXwantspathtoandfromuserdomain;inaSystemEventstellblock,SystemEventswantspathofandofuserdomain.
Theideawas,andIsupposestillis,thatAppleScript’sEnglish-likefacadefreesyoufromworryingaboutcomputer-science-yjargonlikeclassesandobjectsandpropertiesandcommands,andallowsyoutojustsaywhatyoumeanandhaveitjustwork.
Butsayingwhatyoumean,inEnglish,almostnever“justworks”andcompilessuccessfullyasAppleScript,andsotobeproductiveyoustillhavetounderstandallofthewaysthatAppleScriptactuallyworks.Butthisisdifficult,becausethelanguagesyntaxisoptimizedforEnglish-likeness,ratherthanbeingoptimizedformakingitclearjustwhatthefuckisactuallygoingon.[...]
TheseprepositionaldifferencesareevenmoreexasperatingwhenyouconsiderthatofandinareinterchangeableinAppleScript.IfyoucansayeitherofthefollowingtomeanthesamethingwithinaSystemEventstellblock:
pathoffontsfolderofuserdomainpathinfontsfolderinuserdomainandyoucansaythisusingStandardAdditions:
pathtofontsfolderfromuserdomainthenitseemsrathernaturaltoassumethatthe“to”and“from”mightbeinterchangeablewithotherprepositionsaswell.Butyoucan’t,andifyou’renotawarethatStandardAdditions’s“pathto”isasingletokenoftwowords,itseemsratherarbitrary,ifnotdownrightrandom,whichprepositionsareallowedwhere.
ButLLMsreallydojustparsenaturallanguage.Noneofthatseemingnonsensewithsomecommonprepositionsworkinginsomecontexts,butothercommonprepositionsbeingrequiredinothers.Thatdoesn’tmeanLLMagentsarealwayscapableofdoingwhatyouwant—farfromit—butthebestwaytotrytogetthemtodowhatyouwantisthesame,whetheryouhaveacomputersciencedegreeorhaveneverwrittenaprograminyourlife:describewhatyouwantasclearlyaspossibleinplainnaturallanguage.Justtrytoaskinthemostobviouswaypossible,andthat’sthemostlikelywaythatitwillwork,ifitcanwork.That’sremarkable.
Here’sViticci’ssecondexample:
CanyouaddasectionwiththenamesofthesamecategoriesthatJohnusedJustthenamesofthosecategories.
Thatworkedtoo,leadingViticcitoobserve:
Yearsago,Iwouldhavehadtodoalotofcopyingandpasting,typeitalloutmanually,orwriteashortcutwithregularexpressionstoautomatethisprocess.Now,the“automation”takesplaceasanaturallanguagecommandthathasaccesstothecontentsofanoteandcanreformatitaccordingly.
LikeViticci,IremainlargelyskepticalanduncomfortablewithAIforpurposesofgeneratingoriginalnewstuff—writing,imagery,whatever.Butasanassistiveagent,it’squiteremarkabletodayandimprovingatafastclip.
KatieRobinson,reportingforTheNewYorkTimes:
AfterPresident-electDonaldJ.Trumpannouncedacascadeofcabinetpickslastmonth,theeditorialboardofTheLosAngelesTimesdecideditwouldweighin.OnewriterpreparedaneditorialarguingthattheSenateshouldfollowitstraditionalprocessforconfirmingnominees,particularlygiventheboard’sconcernsaboutsomeofhispicks,andignoreMr.Trump’scallforso-calledrecessappointments.
Thepaper’sowner,thebillionairemedicalentrepreneurDr.PatrickSoon-Shiong,hadotherideas.
Hoursbeforetheeditorialwassettobesenttotheprinterforthenextday’snewspaper,Dr.Soon-Shiongtoldtheopiniondepartment’sleadersthattheeditorialcouldnotbepublishedunlessthepaperalsopublishedaneditorialwithanopposingview.
Baffledbyhisorderandwiththeprintdeadlineapproaching,editorsremovedtheeditorial,headlined“DonaldTrump’scabinetchoicesarenotnormal.TheSenate’sconfirmationprocessshouldbe.”Itneverran.
Thenewspaperbusiness,alas,isn’twhatitusedtobe.Whenitwasthriving,localcompetitionwouldhavealreadybeeninplace.Evensmallcitieshadatleasttworivalpapers.Now,NewYorkmightbetheonlycityinAmericaleftwithanytruecompetitionbetweennewspapers.
Andhereweare,20+yearslater,withaddressbooksfullofpartial,duplicate,andoutdatedinformation.Perhapsthereasonforthisisthatsocialnetworks(orthesocialnetwork)solvedthisproblem—forawhile.WhenFacebookwasubiquitousitwasprobablyaprettygoodreflectionofmanypeople’sreal-liferelationships.Ittoldyouwheretheylived,whoyouknewincommon,andallkindsofotherdetails.
Anotherideathatseemedobviouswasthat,givenhowdeeplysocialhumansare,socialproductswoulddominatetheinternet.Tentofifteenyearsago,thisseemedinevitable.
Butsomethingelsehappenedinstead.
Socialnetworksbecame“socialmedia,”which,atfirst,meantreceivingcontentfrompeopleyouchosetohearfrom.Butinthequesttomaximizeengagement,thetimelineoffriendsandpeopleyoupickedtofollowturnedintoafree-for-allbattleforattention.Anditturnsout,formostpeople,yourfriendsaren’tasentertainingas(godforbid)influencerswhospendtheirwakinghoursmaking“content.”
Inotherwords,socialmediabecame…media.
Totellyouthetruth,Ithinktherearepositiveaspectsofthisevolution(perhapsI’llgetintothatinanotherpost).Butweclearlylostsomething.
Newapp,spearheadedbyEvWilliams:
Moziisaprivatesocialnetworkforseeingyourpeoplemore,IRL.Addyourplans,checkwho’sintown,andknowwhenyouoverlap.
WhydoyouneedaccesstomycontactsWillyouevercontactpeopleinmyphonebook
Never.WeaskforaccesstoyourcontactssothatyoucanconnectwiththepeopleyoualreadyknowonMozi.InordertoseesomeoneonMozi,youhavetobothbeonMoziandbothhaveoneanothersavedasiOScontacts.Weneversend,sellorshareanyofyourinformation,andwewillnevercontactyourpeopleonyourbehalf.Andinsteadofstoringanyactualphonenumbers,wehash(encrypt)them.Thisensuresbothyournumberandallyourcontactsremainanonymizedandprotected.
I’min,andsofaronlyhavethreemutuals.But—allthreeofthemarepeoplewhosein-personcompanyItrulyenjoy.We’veall,correctly,gotourguardsupregardingnew“social”platformsthatwantourpersonalinformation,butwe’vecollectivelybecomesocynicalthatIworrypeopledon’tevenwanttotryfunnewthingslikeMozi.EvWilliamsisuniquelyplacedtomakesomethinglikethishappeninatrustworthyway.
“Theinternetdidmakeusmoreconnected,”hesaidinaninterviewinMenloPark,Calif.“Itjustalsomadeusmoredivided.Itmadeusmoreeverything.”
Moziismeanttobeautility.Ifauserwantstomessageafriendintheapptomakeplans,theappdirectsthemtothephone’stextingapp.
OnelastLettermanlink:anewhalf-hourinterviewaboutinterviewingwithZachBaronforGQ.IwatchedthefirstminuteandI’msavingtherestfortonight:
Baron:Ifyoureadpiecesaboutyou—piecesofpress,profilestufflikethat—fromthe’80sand’90s,evenalittlebitinthe2000s,youwereoftenportrayedasmiserable.
Letterman:(laughsuproariously)Yeah,that’sgreat.Ilovethat.
TheNewYorkTimes:
GeorgeJ.Kresge,whoastheentertainertheAmazingKreskinusedmentalisttrickstodazzleaudiencesasherosetofameonlate-nighttelevisioninthe1970s,diedonTuesdayinWayne,N.J.Hewas89.Aclosefriend,MeirYedid,saidthedeath,atanassistedlivingfacility,wasfromcomplicationsofdementia.
Kreskin’sfeatsincludeddiviningdetailsofstrangers’personallivesandguessingatplayingcardschosenrandomlyfromadeck.Andhehadaclassictrickatliveshows:entrustingaudiencememberstohidehispaycheckintheauditorium,andthenrelyingonhisinstinctstofindit—orelsegoingwithoutpaymentforanight.
Inadditiontotwochoicesfort-shirts,thenewDFParaphernaliastorealsohastheabovehoodies,whichareprettynice,Ihavetosay.Iparticularlylikethedrawstrings,whicharemuchmoresubstantial,almostrope-like,thantheshoelace-likestringsonmosthoodies.Iwearminealot,especiallyinthewinter,asanextralayer.You’dlookgoodinone.
Here’sthething.Thestorewillnotbeopenyear-round.We’retakingordersnow,printingtomeetdemand,andthenwe’regoingtocloseitdown.Ordertonightortomorrow,andifyou’reintheU.S.,yoursshouldarrivebeforeChristmas.Internationalorders—eventhoseorderedbyourgoodneighborsinCanada—mostlikelywillnot.
Appleisdevelopingitsfirstserverchipspeciallydesignedforartificialintelligence,accordingtothreepeoplewithdirectknowledgeoftheproject,astheiPhonemakerpreparestodealwiththeintensecomputingdemandsofitsnewAIfeatures.AppleisworkingwithBroadcomonthechip’snetworkingtechnology,whichiscrucialforAIprocessing,accordingtooneofthepeople.IfApplesucceedswiththeAIchip—internallycode-namedBaltraandexpectedtobereadyformassproductionby2026—itwouldmarkasignificantmilestoneforthecompany’ssiliconteam.[...]
ThehintofobsequiousnesstoBroadcomsuggeststome,prettyclearly,thatit’ssourcesfromBroadcomwhoprovidedtheleaksforthisstory.
Anyway,whatreallycaughtmyeyeinthisreportwasn’ttheAIserverchips,butratherthefollowing(emphasistokeyparagraphadded),includedseeminglyonlyasanasideeventhoughIthoughtitwasthemostinterestingnuggetinthereport(vagueshadesofFermat’sLastTheorem):
Apple’ssilicondesignteaminIsraelisleadingdevelopmentoftheAIchip,accordingtotwoofthepeople.ThatteamwasinstrumentalindesigningtheprocessorsAppleintroducedin2020toreplaceIntelchipsinMacs.
Applethispastsummercanceledthedevelopmentofahigh-performancechipforMacs—consistingoffoursmallerchipsstitchedtogether—tofreeupsomeofitsengineersinIsraeltoworkontheAIchip,oneofthepeoplesaid,highlightingthecompany’sshiftingpriorities.
Tomakethechip,AppleisplanningtouseoneofTSMC’smostadvancedmanufacturingprocesses,knownasN3P,saidthreepeoplewithdirectknowledge.ThatwouldbeanimprovementoverthemanufacturingprocessusedforApple’slatestcomputerprocessor,theM4.
Ifeellikeit’salockthattherewillbeanM4Ultrachipnextyear,withtheperformanceoftwoM4Maxchipsfusedtogether.Or,perhapstheM4Ultrawillbeastandalonedesign,nottwoMaxchipsfused.TheM-seriesMaxchipshavealwaysbeentheirowndesigns—nottwoProchipsfusedtogether.ThesamecouldbetrueforUltrachips,startingnextyear,orsomegenerationfurtherintothefuture.
ErikHayden,reportingforTheHollywoodReporter:
Forhisnextmove,DavidLettermanisjumpingintotheincreasinglycrowdedfree,ad-supportedTVchannel(FAST)space.
Thelate-nightgreat’sproductioncompanyWorldwidePantshasinkedadealwithSamsungTVPlustobringaround4,000hoursoforiginalvideotothecompany’sstreamingservice,thefirmssaidWednesday.“I’mveryexcitedaboutthis,”statedLetterman,whogliblyadded,“NowIcanwatchmyselfagewithoutlookinginthemirror!”
Theoutputforthe24/7on-demandchanneltitledLettermanTVappearstorelyheavilyonarchivalclipsfromhisnearly33-yearlate-nightrun,includinghisCBSLateShowTopTenlists,“StupidTricks”segments,interviewswithstars,holidayspecialsandbehind-the-scenesclipsalongwithfreshcommentaryfromLetterman,presumablyonalltheabove.
JuliCloveratMacRumors:
AppletodaymadeamistakewithitsmacOSSequoia15.2update,releasingthesoftwarefortwoMacsthathaveyettobelaunched.Thereisasoftwarefilefor“Mac16,12”and“Mac16,13,”whichareupcomingMacBookAirmodels.
Theleakedsoftwarereferencesthe“MacBookAir(13-inch,M4,2025)”andthe“MacBookAir(15-inch,M4,2025),”confirmingthatnewM4MacBookAirmodelsareindevelopmentandarelikelynottoofarofffromlaunching.
DavidIngram,reportingforNBCNews:
U.S.BankruptcyJudgeChristopherLopezsaidafteratwo-dayhearingthatTheOnion’sparentcompany,GlobalTetrahedron,hadnotsubmittedthebestbidandwaswronglynamedthewinnerofanauctionlastmonthbyacourt-appointedtrustee.
“Idon’tthinkit’senoughmoney,”Lopezsaidinalate-nightrulingfromthebenchinaHoustoncourt.“I’mgoingtonotapprovethesale.”
It’snotover’tilit’sover.
BrandonSilverman:
However,therehasneverbeenaplacetoseealloftheartfromthemapsinoneplace.Untilnow.
Thiswebsiteisafreearchivededicatedexclusivelytocreatingaone-stopshopforalltheincredibletypographyandartoftheSanbornmaps.Itincludesalmost3,500uniquedecorativetitles,alldrawnbefore1923.Whilelargeportionsoftheoriginalmapshavebeendigitizedandarchivedinvariousplacesbothonlineandoffline,therehasneverbeenacomprehensivecollectionofallofthedecorativetitlesfromtheSanbornmaps.Ihopeyouenjoy!
Finally,DaringFireballt-shirtsandhoodiesareback.Ordernow,andwe’llstartprintingshirtsattheendofthisweek.U.S.domesticordersplacedbytheendofthedayWednesdayshouldarrivebeforeChristmas.Internationalorders—eventhoseorderedbyourgoodneighborsinCanada—mostlikelywillnot.
MarkGurman,inhisPowerOncolumnforBloomberg:
Appleisnowworkingonamajorefforttosupportthird-partyhandcontrollersinthedevice’svisionOSsoftwareandhasteamedupwithSonyGroupCorp.tomakeithappen.AppleapproachedSonyearlierthisyear,andtheduoagreedtoworktogetheronlaunchingsupportforthePlayStationVR2’shandcontrollersontheVisionPro.InsideSony,theworkhasbeenamonthslongundertaking,I’mtold.AndApplehasdiscussedtheplanwiththird-partydevelopers,askingthemifthey’dintegratesupportintotheirgames.[...]
OnehiccupisthatSonydoesn’tcurrentlysellitsVRhandcontrollersasastandaloneaccessory.Thecompanywouldneedtodecoupletheequipmentfromitsownheadsetandkickoffoperationstoproduceandshiptheaccessoryonitsown.Aspartofthearrangement,SonywouldsellthecontrollersatApple’sonlineandretailstores,whichalreadyofferPS5versions.
Late-breakingcandidateforbestnewfontof2024.
Now,adefenderofAImight—rightly—saythatarealjournalistshouldchecktheanswersprovidedbyChatGPT;thatfact-checkingisacriticalpartofourjob.Iagree,whichiswhyI’vewalkedyouthroughmyowncheckinginthisarticle.ButtheseareonlythepublicandembarrassingexamplesofsomethingIthinkishappeningmuchmoreofteninprivate:anormalpersonisusingChatGPTandtrustingtheinformationitgivesthem.
Amistake,obviously.
Here’showIpromptedChatGPT,pretendingIintendedtowriteaboutthisweek’spoliticalcontroversydujour:
GivemealistofU.S.presidentialpardonsgrantedtofamilymembers,friends,administrationofficials,andcronies.BasicallyI’mlookingforalistofcontroversialpardons.I’minterestedinthetotalityofU.S.history,butparticularlyinrecenthistory,let’ssaythelast100years.
Festivitasautomaticallyaddsfestivelightstoyourmenubaranddockuponlaunchandyoucantweaktheirappearancetomatchyourpreferences.
Update,Friday6December:Today’s1.1updatebringsseveralimprovements,includingmakingthelightslookwaycoolerifyourDockisontheleftorright(asgodintended).
DavidFrum,writingatTheAtlantic,regardinghisjarringappearanceasaguestonMSNBC’sMorningJoe:
In1989,PresidentGeorgeH.W.BushnominatedJohnTower,senatorfromTexas,forsecretaryofdefense.Towerwasaveryconsiderableperson,arealdefenseintellectual,someonewhodeeplyunderstooddefense,unlikethecurrentnominee.ItemergedthatTowerhadadrinkingproblem,andwhenhewasdrinkingtoomuchhewouldmakehimselfanuisanceorworsetowomenaroundhim.Andforthatreason,hisnominationcollapsedin1989.Youdon’twanttothinkthatourmoralstandardshavedeclinedsomuchthatyoucansay:Let’stakeallthedrinking,allthesex-pesting,subtractanyknowledgeofdefense,subtractanyleadership,andthereisyournextsecretaryofdefenseforthe21stcentury.
Itoldthisstoryinpungentterms.It’scableTV,afterall.AndIintroducedthediscussionwithajoke:“Ifyou’retoodrunkforFoxNews,you’revery,verydrunkindeed.”
Atthenextadbreak,aproducerspokeintomyear.HeobjectedtomycommentsaboutFoxandwarnedmenottorepeatthem.Isaidsomethingnoncommittalandgotanotherroundofwarning.Afterthebreak,Iwasaskedafollow-upquestiononadifferenttopic,aboutPresidentJoeBiden’spardonofhisson.Ididnotreverttotheearlierdiscussion,notbecauseIhadbeenwarned,butbecauseIhadsaidmypiece.IwasthentoldthatIwasexcusedfromthestudiochair.Shortlyafterward,co-hostMikaBrzezinskireadanapologyformyremarks.
PeteHegseth,President-electDonaldTrump’spickfordefensesecretary,drankinwaysthatconcernedhiscolleaguesatFoxNews,accordingto10currentandformerFoxemployeeswhospokewithNBCNews.TwoofthosepeoplesaidthatonmorethanadozenoccasionsduringHegseth’stimeasaco-hostofFox&FriendsWeekend,whichbeganin2017,theysmelledalcoholonhimbeforehewentonair.Thosesametwopeople,plusanother,saidthatduringhistimethereheappearedontelevisionafterthey’dheardhimtalkaboutbeinghungoverashewasgettingreadyoronset.
Oneofthesourcessaidtheysmelledalcoholonhimasrecentlyaslastmonthandheardhimcomplainaboutbeinghungoverthisfall.NoneofthesourceswithwhomNBCNewshasspokencouldrecallaninstancewhenHegsethmissedascheduledappearancebecausehe’dbeendrinking.“Everyonewouldbetalkingaboutitbehindthescenesbeforehewentontheair,”oneoftheformerFoxemployeessaid.
NotetoothatFox&FriendsWeekendairsat6:00inthemorning.
OliverDarcy,inawell-sourcedreportatStatus(paywalled,alas,butwithapreviewofthearticleifyousignupforthefreeversionofhisnewsletter,whichIagreeissortofa“Yeah,nothanks”offer):
PatrickSoon-ShiongistighteninghisgripovertheLosAngelesTimes.TheMAGA-curiousowner,whodrewcontroversywhenheblockedthenewspaper’splannedendorsementofKamalaHarris,haswadedfurtherintoitsoperationssincetheNovemberelection,accordingtonewinformationIhavelearnedandpublicremarksthebillionairemadeWednesdayduringamediaappearancewithright-wingpersonalityScottJennings.[...]Severalveteranstafferstoldmethatmoralehasneverbeenlower,withsomepeopleevenwonderingwhetherthenewspaperwillbedisfiguredbeyondrecognitionunderthisneweraofSoon-Shiong’sreign.[...]
Whiletheheadlineseemedinnocuous,Soon-Shiongexpresseddismayoverit,accordingtothepeoplefamiliarwiththematter.Theheadlinewasallowedtoremainunchanged.But,asaresult,thepeoplesaid,anewrulewasputintoplace:Priortopublishingopinionstories,theheadlinesmustbeemailedovertoSoon-Shiong,wherehecanthenchoosetoweighin.Whileitisnormalfornewspaperownerstoinfluencetheopinionwingofanewspaper,itishighlyunusualforanownertohavearticleheadlinessenttothemaheadofpublicationforreview.
Thatalsoseemslikealotofworkforabusybillionaire.Wonderhowhemighthandlethat
SpeakingtoJenningsasthelatterhostedaradioshowWednesday,thebillionairerevealedthat,behindthescenes,heisworkingondevelopinga“biasmeter”poweredbyartificialintelligencethatwillbeplacedonbothopinionandnewsstories.Soon-Shiongsaidthatthehopeistorolloutthenewfeature,whichwillusethetechnologytoseeminglywarnreadersthathisownreportersarebiased,asearlyasnextmonth.[...]
Sufficetosay,butwhenthejournalistsattheTimesheardthe“breakingnews”thatSoon-ShiongdeliveredtoJennings,theyspiraledevenfurther.“Peoplearenowdeeplyfuckingconcerned,”onestafferbluntlytoldmeWednesdaynight.
Whatcouldgowrong
ThestatementsofDr.Soon-Shionginthepressandonsocialmediareflecthisownopinionsanddonotshapereportingbyourmember-journalists.
TheGuildhassecuredstrongethicsprotectionsforourmembers,includingtherighttowithholdone’sbyline,andwewillfirmlyguardagainstanyefforttoimproperlyorunfairlyalterourreporting.
StephaniePalazzolo,writingforTheInformation(paywalled,alas):
ResearchersatOpenAIbelievethatsomerivalAIdevelopersaretrainingtheirreasoningmodelsbyusingOpenAI’so1reasoningmodelstogeneratetrainingdata,accordingtoapersonwhohasspokentothecompany’sresearchersaboutit.Inshort,therivalscanasktheo1modelstosolvevariousproblemsandthenusethemodels’chainofthought—the“thoughtprocess”themodelsusetosolvethoseproblems—astrainingdata,thepersonsaid.
Youmightbewonderinghowrivaldeveloperscandothat.OpenAIhasexplicitlysaidithidesitsreasoningmodels’rawchainsofthoughtdueinparttocompetitiveconcerns.
Butinansweringquestions,o1modelsincludeasummarizedversionofthechainofthoughttohelpthecustomerunderstandhowthemodelsarrivedattheanswer.RivalscansimplyaskanotherLLMtotakethatsummarizedchainofthoughtandpredictwhattherawchainofthoughtmighthavebeen,thepersonwhospokewiththeresearcherssaid.
AndI’msuretheseOpenAIresearchersarehappytoprovidethistrainingdatatocompetitors,withouthavinggrantedpermission,inthesamewaytheytrained(andcontinuetotrain)theirownmodelsonpubliclyavailablewebpages,withouthavingbeengrantedpermission.Right
FromTheStanfordRevieweditor-in-chiefJuliaSteinberg’sinterviewwithuniversitypresidentJonathanLevin:
StanfordReview:Whatisthemostimportantproblemintheworldrightnow
PresidentLevin:There’snoanswertothatquestion.Therearetoomanyimportantproblemstogiveyouasingleanswer.
StanfordReview:Thatisanapplicationquestionthatwehavetoanswertoapplyhere.
AlexHeath,writingatTheVerge:
“I’mactuallyveryoptimisticthistimearound,”BezossaidofTrumpduringararepublicappearanceatTheNewYorkTimesDealBookSummitonWednesday.“Heseemstohavealotofenergyaroundreducingregulation.IfIcanhelphimdothat,I’mgoingtohelphim.”
TrumprailedagainstBezosandhiscompanies—Amazon,BlueOrigin,andTheWashingtonPost—duringhis2016term.BezosdefendedhimselfbutitdidlittletohelphisreputationwithTrump.Now,hiscompanieshavealotatstakeinthecomingadministration,fromtheFTC’santitrustlawsuitagainstAmazontoBlueOrigin’seffortstocompetewithSpaceXforgovernmentcontracts.
OnstageattheDealBookSummitonWednesday,BezoscalledTrump“calmerthistime”and“moresettled.”Hesaidhewilltryto“talkhimoutof”theideathatthepress,whichincludesTheWashingtonPost,isanenemyofthepeople.
“You’veprobablygrowninthelasteightyears,”hesaidtoDealBook’sAndrewRossSorkin.“Hehas,too.”
Irealizethat“Someconversationsareend-to-endencrypted”willnaturallyspurcuriosityregardingwhichconversationsareencryptedandwhicharen’t,butthat’sthetruth.Andusersoftheappshouldbeawareofthat.“RCSconversationswithotherGoogleMessagesusersareencrypted”wouldwork.
Then,inthe“reportcard”sectionofthelisting,itstatesthefollowing:
DataisencryptedintransitYourdataistransferredoverasecureconnection
Justbehonest!TheE2EEbetweenGoogleMessagesusersusingAndroidphonesthatsupportRCSiscompletelyseamlessandautomatic(IjusttrieditmyselfusingmyAndroidburner),butE2EEisneveravailableforSMS,andneveravailableifaparticipantinthechatisusinganyRCSclient(onAndroidorAppleMessages)otherthanGoogleMessages.That’sanessentialdistinctionthatshouldbemadeclear,notobfuscated.
WhileI’matit,it’salsoembarrassingthatGoogleVoicehasnosupportforRCSatall.It’sGoogle’sownappandservice,andGooglehasbeentheworld’smostvocalproponentofRCSmessaging.
KevinCollier,reportingforNBCNews:
AmidanunprecedentedcyberattackontelecommunicationscompaniessuchasAT&TandVerizon,U.S.officialshaverecommendedthatAmericansuseencryptedmessagingappstoensuretheircommunicationsstayhiddenfromforeignhackers.
Thehackingcampaign,nicknamedSaltTyphoonbyMicrosoft,isoneofthelargestintelligencecompromisesinU.S.history,andithasnotyetbeenfullyremediated.OfficialsonanewscallTuesdayrefusedtosetatimetablefordeclaringthecountry’stelecommunicationssystemsfreeofinterlopers.OfficialshadtoldNBCNewsthatChinahackedAT&T,VerizonandLumenTechnologiestospyoncustomers.
AspokespersonfortheChineseEmbassyinWashingtondidnotimmediatelyrespondtoarequestforcomment.
InthecallTuesday,twoofficials—aseniorFBIofficialwhoaskednottobenamedandJeffGreene,executiveassistantdirectorforcybersecurityattheCybersecurityandInfrastructureSecurityAgency—bothrecommendedusingencryptedmessagingappstoAmericanswhowanttominimizethechancesofChina’sinterceptingtheircommunications.
“Oursuggestion,whatwehavetoldfolksinternally,isnotnewhere:Encryptionisyourfriend,whetherit’sontextmessagingorifyouhavethecapacitytouseencryptedvoicecommunication.Eveniftheadversaryisabletointerceptthedata,ifitisencrypted,itwillmakeitimpossible,”Greenesaid.
Here’saclunkerofaparagraphfromthisNBCNewsstory,though:
Privacyadvocateshavelongadvocatedusingend-to-endencryptedapps.SignalandWhatsAppautomaticallyimplementend-to-endencryptioninbothcallsandmessages.GoogleMessagesandiMessagealsocanencryptcallsandtextsendtoend.
AfewnuggetsofwisdomfromAndyGrove,inaninterviewwithEsquireafterheretiredasIntel’sCEO,butstillservedaschairman:
Profitsarethelifebloodofenterprise.Don’tletanyonetellyoudifferent.
Youmustunderstandyourmistakes.Studythehelloutofthem.You’renotgoingtohavethechanceofmakingthesamemistakeagain—youcan’tstepintotheriveragainatthesameplaceandthesametime—butyouwillhavethechanceofmakingasimilarmistake.
Statusisaverydangerousthing.I’vemettoomanypeoplewhomakeitapointofpridethattheynevertakemoneyoutofacashmachine,peoplewhoaretoogoodtohavetheirowne-mailaddress,becausethat’sforeverybodyelsebutnotthem.It’shardtofightthetemptationtosetyourselfapartfromtherestoftheworld.
Whatyou’reseeingtodayisavery,veryrapidevolutionofanindustrywherethemilieuisbetterunderstoodbypeoplewhogrewupinthesametimeframeastheindustry.Alotoftheyearsthatmanyofushavespentinbusinessbeforethistimeareofonlylimitedrelevance.
Thisindustryisnotlikeanyother.Computersdon’tgetincrementallymorepowerful;theygetexponentiallymorepowerful.
NilayPatel:
SomanyofyoulikeTheVergethatwe’veactuallygottenashockingnumberofnotesfrompeopleaskinghowtheycanpaytosupportourwork.It’snosecretthatlotsofgreatwebsitesandpublicationshavegoneunderoverthepastfewyearsastheopenwebfallsapart,andit’sclearthatdirectlysupportingthecreatorsyouloveisabigpartofhoweveryonegetstostayworkingonthemoderninternet.
Atthesametime,wedidn’twanttosimplypaywalltheentiresite—it’satragedythattraditionaljournalismisretreatingbehindpaywallswhilenonsensespreadsacrossplatformsforfree.Wealsothinkourbig,popularhomepageisaresourceworthinvestingin.Sowe’rerethinkingTheVergeinafreemiummodel:ourhomepage,corenewsposts,Decoderinterviewtranscripts,QuickPosts,Storystreams,andliveblogswillremainfree.Weknowsomanyofyoudependonustocuratethenewseveryday,andwe’regoingtostayfocusedonmakingagreathomepagethat’sworthcheckingoutregularly,whetheryoupayusornot.
Ouroriginalreporting,reviews,andfeatureswillbebehindadynamicmeteredpaywall—manyofyouwillneverhitthepaywall,butifyoureadusalot,we’llaskyoutopay.
Thissoundslikeanextremelywell-consideredbalancebetweenkeepingmuchofthesiteopentoall,allowingmeteredaccesstoalimitednumberofpremiumarticlesfreeofcharge,andcreatinganewsustainablerevenuestreamfromsubscribers.Bravo.
Countmeinasadayonesubscriber.
SpecialguestAllenPikejoinstheshowtotalkaboutthestateofgenerativeAIandhowAppleIntelligencemeasuresup(sofar).Also:somespeculationonApple’spendingacquisitionoftheever-difficult-to-pronouncePixelmator.